Articles
By Diresim
Published: Mar. 18, 2007 2:33 PM
I’ve never really been a big fan of NFL football. Sure I’ve watched a few Superbowls in my time, but the lack of coverage of the sport in Australia has ensured my knowledge of the game is fairly slim. What I do know about the game, I have learnt from many hours spent playing Madden games over the years. I always found it to be somehow enjoyable to spend all day trying to get a touchdown. To run around on defence trying to hit everyone, leaving space open for opposition receivers, but not being able to resist. To try hail mary after hail mary instead of punting. The deeper aspects of play I always found too difficult to fathom, but I always had some pretty good fun just mucking around. So with the release of Madden NFL 07, the first non-launch Madden game for the 360, I was hoping for a real treat. In some ways, I have been satisfied, but in others, I’ve been left wanting.
The core gameplay is as fun as it was last year, and the year before that, albeit with some neat little additions here and there. The highlight stick, a complement to your offensive arsenal, is a great example, allowing you to spin off defenders and juke your way out of trouble using the right analogue stick. After a short amount of time using it, you’ll be busting moves with an ease and fluidity which is particularly satisfying. The myriad of plays, set-pieces and audibles are as confusing as ever, but super rewarding once you start figuring them all out. As always, fans who understand the nuances of NFL football and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different teams and players will get infinitely more out of the experience.
Madden 07 is a good looking game too. The animations are fantastic. Sure there is some weird collision detection going on from time to time, and the crowd looks absolutely shocking, but there’s no mistaking it’s the best looking Madden game yet. Players’ faces are so close to lifelike it’s ridiculous, and when this is coupled with the excellent use of vocal sound, it brings the field to life. Players are always yapping away and smack talking at ground level, and it adds a real atmosphere for all the players to look and sound so believable. The sound department does have its drawbacks though. I found the commentary to be particularly stale, devoid of any real emotion, and the crowd noise is pretty disappointing. Sure there is constant input and a bit of cheering, but I wanted to be enveloped in the crowd. I wanted to be surrounded by the sounds of the stadium in every 5.1 speaker. But all I got was some lame announcer who gave me the impression he was trying not to sound bored, and that’s when he wasn’t mysteriously absent all together.
Franchise mode returns in all its glory, and is still one hell of a beast. You manage, coach and field your team through 30 NFL seasons, trying to build a lasting dynasty. Tough trading decisions, positional changes to get a tougher guy at half back, and injury difficulties. These must all be contended with. Only three games into my first season my star quarterback broke his ankle and was out for the season. I threw money at just about every decent QB in the league, but no-one was interested. Eventually I decided to develop my second string guys, and it was time to get them on the track. Actual training mini-games have been added to keep things fresh. Pick a player, decide which stats you want to increase and by how much, then get them out there doing the hard yards.
If superstar mode get s bit repetitive for you, it may be time to try out the new Superstar mode, which allows you to create, develop and play as one particular player, as opposed to the whole team. So that means no play calling, no coaching or managerial decisions, just career management for your main man. You must train him, sign him up, trade him if necessary, conduct interviews, keep his ego in check, and then on game day you control him and only him. Depending on which position your guys plays in, you’ll get a camera angle aimed at allowing you to maximize his input in the game. Although it takes a while to adjust to the different style of play, this is an excellent feature, which has been all too often overlooked in sports games of years past. Kudos must go to EA for this inclusion, as it’s the freshest thing that’s happened to Madden in years.
Page 1 of 2 | Next Page » - 
